A savory, spice-laced highball in which vodka lends quiet warmth to a body of tomato juice, lemon sharpens the edges, and Worcestershire, Tabasco, celery salt and cracked black pepper stack up umami, heat and a salty, vegetal bite. Stirred gently and served cold over ice with a crisp celery stalk and a lemon wedge, it drinks bracing and almost brothy — a glass built for brunch and the morning after.
Garnish: Celery Stalk, Lemon Wedge
Built · Highball · On the Rocks
add
Add the vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire, Tabasco, celery salt, and black pepper to a mixing glass with ice.
stir
Stir gently to combine and chill without aerating the tomato juice.
strain
Strain into an ice-filled highball glass (or build directly over fresh cubed ice).
garnish
Garnish with a celery stalk and a lemon wedge.
No single inventor can be named: the drink started out as a plain, unattributed mix of vodka and tomato juice, and several people later claimed it as their own. The best-documented story credits bartender Fernand "Pete" Petiot, said to have worked on the vodka-and-tomato pairing at Harry's New York Bar in Paris around 1921 before bringing in the seasonings at the St. Regis Hotel's King Cole Bar in New York in 1934. Rival claims come from comedian George Jessel, linked to New York's 21 Club, and from Henry Zbikiewicz, and even the source of the name is disputed. The seasoned version went on to become an official IBA cocktail.